Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Gonzalez entered last night’s game against the Indians leading MLB in average (.409) and RBI (27) since the All-Star break. And after blasting a two-run homer in the fourth inning, he now has as many homers (six) in 25 games this half as he managed in 86 games during the first half.
“There’s a feeling I had in ’08 and ’09 that I didn’t have in 2010 and 2011 because I had a bad shoulder,” Gonzalez said. “So my swing went through a phase where I just did whatever I had to do to help the team. If that meant cutting my finish off, doing certain things, so be it.
“This year, coming into the season, I said, ‘I’m healthy, I can go back to it.’ And searching for that old swing, I found myself getting into some mechanical problems.”
Even after hitting homer No. 12 last night, Gonzalez accepts he probably won’t end the season with 30. He’d be happy with 20 if they’re accompanied by a high average and a ton of RBI.
Herald - Adrian in the swing of things
The Red Sox are a world of negativity right now, so I thought it may be best to focus on one of the only good things going on at Fenway right now: the resurgence of Adrian Gonzalez.
And, like most things in baseball, it's all thanks to a slight mechanical tweak. Gonzalez's 'power stroke' was completely screwed up from compensating for his bad shoulder. But he kept trying to make it work. It wasn't. So he decided to scrap that swing and, well, the results speak for themselves. He's destroying the ball right now.
He's probably not going to put up the same numbers he put up last year -- even if he continues at this pace -- but that's OK. This season is the definition of "lost cause". What's important is that he has a swing he's comfortable with, and even more important, one that works.
That will allow him to fine-tune that swing this offseason. That will allow him to enter next year without the burden of trying to figure it out. That will allow him to be the Adrian Gonzalez we traded for. Whatever the roster looks like in 2013, we should have at least have one All-Star that we can depend on. That's a start.
Rest of the links:
Herald -Fast unraveling for laboring Felix Doubront | Sox postseason quest trips out of block in Cleveland | Globe -Relievers paying a toll to get by | Lowly Indians give Red Sox a beating | WEEI -Ranaudo's season could be over | Sox promote Bogaerts to Double-A | Bailey touches 94 in scoreless frame | Formula for failure: Red Sox' offense loses its way | CSNNE - Haggerty: Signs are there that Sox are giving up season | Doubront struggles with command, possible fatigue
